This invention relates to recording/playback apparatus and, more particularly, to such apparatus wherein a pre-recorded message is reproduced and a message in reply thereto is recorded; such apparatus finding ready application in telephone call recording systems.
Many telephone subscribers have found that it is advantageous to employ some means to receive and record telephone messages while absent from the telephone station. Accordingly, there now are available many telephone call recording devices which can be used by a subscriber for both home and business usage. Many of these available recording systems are of the type which permit a single message to be recorded, this message usually being sufficient to apprise a calling party that the telephone station is unattended and that the calling party should recite any desirable message which then is recorded on, for example, a magnetic tape. When in use, these devices permit the subscriber to play back the successive messages which had been recorded from the various calling parties.
The aforedescribed telephone call recording device typically is capable of enabling the subscriber to pre-record a single message which is replayed for each successive calling party. Although satisfactory in many instances for home use, it is preferable to provide successive pre-recorded messages for the purpose of using the device in business establishments. For example, when used by a sales organization, it often is advantageous to pre-record a first message to evoke a first reply which is recorded; and then follow this reply with a second pre-recorded message from which another reply is recorded, and so on. With this format, more uniform and complete information can be elicited from the calling party and recorded. Of course, this modification of the relatively simple telephone call recording device can be employed to great advantage for home use.
In one type of the so-called message/reply telephone call recording device, the user, or telephone subscriber, records a series of messages, or questions, at spaced intervals along the length of a single magnetic tape. Each question or message is allotted a predetermined time interval. Successive messages, or questions, are spaced by other intervals which are adapted to record the successive replies from the calling party. In operation, the first message is transmitted to the calling party in response to the receipt of an incoming telephone call and then the device is switched from a playback mode to a recording mode to permit the calling party's reply to be recorded in the allotted interval. This interval will terminate simultaneously with the movement of the tape to the next pre-recorded message. At that time, the device is switched from its recording mode to its playback mode to permit the next pre-recorded message to be transmitted. At the conclusion of the interval allotted for transmitting this next pre-recorded message, the device again is switched to its recording mode and the next recording time interval is made available for the recording of a reply. This alternate switching between the playback and recording modes for their respective allotted time intervals can continue until the tape is exhausted.
An attendant disadvantage of this type of message/reply telephone call recording device is that if only a single tape is used for the purpose of playing back pre-recorded messages and recording the replies thereto, this tape will satisfy only a single telephone call. That is, the intervals, which are allotted for recording the calling party's reply can receive only the replies from a single calling party. Obviously, if subsequent replies are recorded in these very same intervals, the previous replies will be obliterated.
One solution to this problem is the use of two separate magnetic tapes. One such tape can be used by the subscriber for pre-recording his messages thereon; and the other such tape can be used to record each reply. The first, or so-called message tape, can be an endless tape, whereby the pre-recorded messages are recycled for subsequent playback and transmission. Alternatively, the message tape can be rapidly rewound to its initial, or starting, position, once the last pre-recorded message has been playing back. In either of these formats, the successive messages are made available for re-use at the next incoming telephone call. The second, or so-called reply tape, can be of much greater length so as to have the capacity to record the replies of many different calling parties to the pre-recorded messages.
This use of separate tapes, or media, heretofore has required that each pre-recorded message be recorded in a given time or tape length interval and, similarly, an allotted time or tape length interval is provided for each reply. As an example, each pre-recorded message may be allotted an interval of five seconds, and each replay thereto may be allotted an interval of fifteen seconds. Unfortunately, if the pre-recorded message is very brief, the calling party must listen to a significant period of silence until he is given the opportunity to reply. Conversely, the subscriber must be careful not to record messages which are longer than five seconds. A similar problem exists for the recording of replies. That is, if a relatively brief reply is evoked, then the subscriber, upon playing back the recorded replies, must listen to a relatively large interval of silence until the next reply is reached. Conversely, if the reply is relatively long, it cannot be recorded in its entirety in the allotted interval. Rather, it must be continued in the next interval made available for reply, even though this interval is dedicated to record a reply to a different pre-recorded message. Thus, a significant disadvantage attending this type of telephone call recording device is that a substantial amount of unused portions of message and reply tape often results from brief message and replies. This, of course, is an inefficient use of tape. Another disadvantage is that a reply message can be prematurely cut off merely because its allotted time interval has expired.